Dropped in at my local craft shop and picked up some 4mm beads to use. Got home and discovered the error of my ways. The beads won't slide around the bend of the hook. In case no one has mentioned this before, I'd suggest taking hooks with you of the size you're planning to bead when purchasing beads.
I thought it was kinda strange that the beads worked on the #10 and 12 bait hooks I was using for practice, but after I received my fly hooks I ran into the problem.